kool_kats_rule

Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves

Ingredients

1 lb 8 oz (700 g) strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for the top of the bread
1 level tablespoon salt, or less, according to taste
1 level teaspoon easy-blend dried yeast
1 level teaspoon golden caster sugar
about 15 fl oz (425 ml) hand-hot water

Pre-heat the oven to its lowest setting.

You will also need two 1 lb (450 g) loaf tins or one 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin, well buttered.

• Begin by warming the flour in the oven for about 10 minutes, then turn the oven off.
• Sift the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a bowl, make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the water.
• Now mix to a dough, starting off with a wooden spoon and using your hands in the final stages of mixing, adding a spot more water if there are any dry bits.
• Wipe the bowl clean with the dough and transfer it to a flat work surface (you may not need to flour this). Knead the dough for 3 minutes or until it develops a sheen and blisters under the surface (it should also be springy and elastic).
• You can now either return the dough to the mixing bowl or transfer it to a clean bowl; either way, cover it with clingfilm that has been lightly oiled on the side that is facing the dough. Leave it until it looks as though it has doubled in bulk, which will be about 2 hours at room temperature.
• After that, knock the air out, then knead again for 2 minutes.
• Now divide the dough in half, pat each piece out to an oblong, then fold one end into the centre and the other in on top. Put each one into a buttered tin, sprinkle each with a dusting of flour, then place them side by side in an oiled polythene bag until the dough rises above the tops of the tins – this time about an hour at room temperature. Alternatively, place all the dough in the one tin. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C).
• Bake the loaves on the centre shelf for 30-40 minutes, or 35-45 minutes for the large loaf, until they sound hollow when their bases are tapped.
• Now return them, out of their tins, upside-down to the oven to crisp the base and side crust for about 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

"The secret to a happy life is never to pass up an opportunity to eat, sleep, or gather possible blackmail material."

"Drugged, tied up, and now groped! THIS is what I call a first date!!"

Life tip: You can do pretty much anything if you yell the right phrase.
"For Science!"

Wet start, terrific race, a lot of good drivers did well, Hamilton won.

One who didn't do so well was Adrian Sutil, for force India.

He got to a career-best of fourth within 10 minutes of the end, when he was suddenly rear-ended by an out-of-control Raikkonen.

Crap.

Oh, and I'm fairly sure the photo isn't actually Sutil. In fact, it's probably Piquet. But it really fits.

Oh I could walk a hundred miles,
And then could walk five hundred more;
But to bridge this gaping chasm between us,
I'd have to grow wings and soar.

As I walk to campus, I pass through a park. Well, at least one. But our campus is actually in one of these parks, and I live just on the other side of it. The path through the park has a point at which it forks, but both forks actually lead to the same place: the gates of the university. One of these paths is a straight line, while the other is a big dog-leg, so it should be simple to decide: the shorter, straighter, quicker path. However, the straight path goes down into a dip and back up again, while the longer path remains on higher ground. And since this dip is practically at sea-level, it floods very easily. The grass of the park is no help, as it's also at sea-level, and completely and utterly saturated, indeed, boggy. So when it's very wet you must take the longer path, or get wet feet.

Last term I only needed to take the higher path once (needed to, although I actually didn't, and got soggy toes). I only got back to swansea two days ago, and I've already had to detour on both days. The stream at one edge of the park is a raging torrent, most of the paths are covered with wide, fast-moving (but thankfully shallow) streams, some carving gullies in the soft ground on their way to the sea, and huge puddles of varying depth covering entire paths and gateways.

I'm not going any further than walking distance from my warm, dry room for a while.

A snapshot of my friends' statuses at 10:39 pm 6th Jan 2008. Just because.

• CP is wondering what she's doing!
  29 seconds ago
• LP would like to state that keeping things a secret is a bitch!
  19 minutes ago
• SS is ill.
  About an hour ago
• ST is not thrilled about the beginnings of the rat race.
  3 hours ago
• JC is playing neg's urban sports.
  3 hours ago
• JB is the ponkmaster of the world.
  3 hours ago
• RL is back in aber to the ystwyth.
  3 hours ago
• AB but who cares?
  4 hours ago
• KR is missing the sunshine.
  5 hours ago
• SW shall have to start some work/revision 2moz.
  5 hours ago
• JC is back in the shanty icebox that is number 89.
  7 hours ago
• BC is back! to work.
  7 hours ago
• KY misses her dog! oh, and her family! and Sarah and Charlie!
  7 hours ago
• CBis finally bak from hols an looking forward 2 a reunion wit her girlies!!!
  8 hours ago
• LC UGH.
  9 hours ago
• HS thinks she really should try and so some work!
  11 hours ago
• TR is almost recovering from illness.
  11 hours ago
• WC-B on to something.
  18 hours ago
• HB has things to do.
  23 hours ago
• ZW is now one of few who can claim to have bought out an entire MacDonalds of it's food... Life ambition achieved lol.
  On Saturday
• PB is back in Swansea.
  On Saturday
• SF is enjoying the benefits of shorter hair.
  On Saturday
• ML refuses to pack for school, as maybe that way she wont have to go back tomorrow.
  On Saturday
• RB is free of the evil essays and now attempting to tidy up the bombsite she currently resides in!
  On Saturday
• RP is back in Swansea.
  On Saturday
• HM is thinking sam is a pansy.
  On Saturday
• CLM will b bac in swnansea on tues wooooo.
  On Saturday
• HM is back up north.
  On Friday
• PAB might actually do some revision.
  On Friday
• RO needs to be in two places at once!!
  On Friday
• AB is thinking that she wants to go on holiday!!!
  On Friday
• MN is CarPro.
  On Thursday
• DP says her blood's stopped and her head's soft.
  On Thursday
• JC has uprooted her life, relocated and replanted. Oxford is much less exciting when no-one's here :(.
  On Thursday
• GD is back in beautiful Wales!
  On Thursday
• HW found it comedy gold that she turned up to work still pissed today. NICE AND PRECISE bernard! ;-).
  On Thursday
• KH thinks that people who use their status' to moan are dicks.
  On Thursday
• ABB is going to kill the fucker that broke into my room in swansea.
  On Thursday
• AG is insulted beyond all recognition "£$(!"%$(!"%*(!"$*%.
  On Wednesday
• TC may repossess your home if you do not keep up repayments!!!
  On Wednesday
• IM is +20 bloke points having jus put his bench together in his garage.
  On Wednesday
• KLD is pleading with all my mates, whoever has my friends boxset give it back :( i miss it!
  On Wednesday
• EW says Happy New year everyone.
  On Wednesday
• AB is missing canada.
  On Wednesday
• WD is feeling refreshed after a walk along Llwyn On reservoir.
  Last Tuesday
• KH survived.
  Last Tuesday
• LL is quite the merry maker!!!
  Last Tuesday
• EJ is a guy who wear glasses, 6'1''-6'2'', caucasian, who talks in a monotone, sounds like a robot, like whot whot whot whot.
  Last Tuesday
• MM Happy New Year everyone!! All the best for 2008!
  Last Tuesday
• GC is very, very hungover.
  Last Tuesday

NB: That's not the lot, just the most recent.

Names initialled to protect the guilty.

Oh and my status:

• M likes rock music, but will still have to wait another week. Dang.

Serves: 2

45 g butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

200 g arborio rice

1.5 litres (approximately) vegetable stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh mint

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

50 ml vodka

90 g freshly grated parmesan

Heat 30g of the butter, and the olive oil, in a large heavy-based
saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add
the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until every grain is coated with
the butter and oil and lightly toasted (2-4 minutes).

In another saucepan, have the stock simmering. Add one ladle of the
hot stock to the rice and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Add
another ladleful and repeat this procedure for approximately 20
minutes, adding more stock as the previous lot is absorbed. Taste the
rice to see if it is ready: it should be tender but still firm to the
bite, but not chalky.

When the rice is cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat and add
salt and pepper to taste. Then add the mint, lemon juice, zest and
vodka. Stir in the remaining butter and about a third of the cheese.
Cover the saucepan tightly and leave it for 2-5 minutes. Serve
immediately that's done, and pass the remaining parmesan separately.

Serves 4 as an entree, or 2 as a main.

Serves: 4

450g/1lb carrots, peeled
0.5cm/1/4in cube ginger, peeled
4tbs/60ml vegetable oil
1/2tsp whole cumin seeds
1/8 tsp ground asafetida (opt)
1-2 fresh, hot, green chillies, finely chopped
1tsp ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1oz/25g/2/3cup cleaned and chopped fresh dill

Recipe later....

Cheesy Beefburgers

500g/1lb 2oz lean minced beef

2 tblspns light soy sauce

1 tspn dried mixed herbs

ground black pepper

40g/1.5 oz cheddar cheese

sunflower oil

1. Put the mince into a bowl and break it up with a fork

2. Add the soy sauce, herbs and pepper

3. Mix well and divide into four. Squeeze each lump into a round flat shape

4. Cut the cheese into four cubes. Press a cube into each burger and cover with the mixture

5. Oil the rack of a grill pan, and cook the burgers for seven minutes under a medium grill

6. Flip and cook for another seven minutes

7. Check that they do not become too brown. Press a fork on a burger to test it: medium cooked ones feel springy, well-done ones feel firm.

Tip: Dip your hands in cold water to stop the mixture from sticking to them.

Alternatives: Omit the cheese, and use other types of mince, e.g. pork, turkey

I mean...just why?! I happen to have a swiss-army knife, a fairly cheap one. It has a small blade, a nail file, a pair of scissors, tweezers and a toothpick (and at the moment, a fair amount of sand in the wrong places). It is a rather slim and handy thing to have on a keyring, although I wish it had some extra stuff like a bottle opener and a saw.

But, this:


This is just wrong, in so many ways.

And it's £500 as well, even if it's got everything you could wish for on it.

Including:

• Mineral crystal magnifier with precision screwdriver
• Shortix laboratory key
• Special self-centering screwdriver for gunsights
• Tire tread gauge
• Golf divot repair tool
• Cupped cigar cutter with double-honed edges

And so much more...

#4- Ireland: Very nice and folky. Was ok to look at as well, with people playing various traditional instruments. Very pleasant, if not exactly overwhelming.
#5- Finland: Well I certainly like it. Finland obviously decided they were onto a good thing last year and have decided to carry on in that vein. Not quite as impressive as Lordi, but the kind of thing you may actually not be totally embarrased to listen to.  Or maybe I just think Eurovision needs more electric guitars. Oh, and the pyrotechnics at the end are nice.
#6- FYR Macedonia (you have to say FYR else the greeks get sniffy): in a minute when I find it.

And when my internet connection sorts itself.

Due to ongoing lack of functional internet, some other entries.

#8- Hungary: She's got a suitcase and a bus stop. Oh dear. Seems very boring. Yawn. Perfectly ok though.
#12- Sweden: I'm a little scared by this one. Some kind of metal on his chest, rather dodgy hair and a swirling black and white background? Eeek. Ack, stripping. I don't think the song quite fits the visuals, but it could just be me.
#13- Croatia: He's fine, the music's fine, she's crap. The background's quite cool though. More electric guitar, this time a short solo. This is good. But can someone please get rid of the woman on this one?
(#15- Serbia: Oooh, it's Elton John. But female. And not playing the piano. The backers have suits, ties, and sashes? Now it's time for the folk interlude. Back again. Boring...)
#10- Greece: Reminds me of Ricky Martin. Very normal. Very energetic and scantily clad female dancers. 'Nuff said. He also appears to have nicked their belts.
#22- Turkey: Urp. Belly dancers in gold, with what appear to be the original Doctor Who title in yellow behind them Boring.
#18- Ukraine: Tin-hatted scary drag queen with counting problems. Good, in an "only in Eurovision" way. Oh, and I want that hat. Crowd liked it.
#16- Germany: Seems nice and jazzy. I like it. Well, they do have a double bass.
#21- Bulgaria: A lot of drums. She does some odd stuff with her voice. Good, in a minimalist, techno way.
#15- Russia: ugh, comments tomorrow....the words are completely crap though...

Due to various reasons (to whit that I have no TV and am watching on YouTube), I'm somewhat behind, and minus Wogan.

#1- Bosian&Herzegovina: Absolutely terrible, like a dying cat. And nothing interesting going on visually either.
#2- Spain: Classic Eurovision fare, but they were better than the very similar looking Westlife. Probably all gay though...Ouch, that classic EV key change sounds like it went a little wrong. Otherwise ok, if boring.
#3- Belarus: Definately gay. Song's ok though, and the outfits are the best yet, as are the backing dancers. Lyrics (english) sound rather pants, but that's really a lost cause.

Walking home about 5 miles in the rain, uphill, at about 1 in the morning, is strangely, only occasionally hellish. The rest of the time it is in fact quite pleasant. Factors contributing to this include whether you are alone, amount of slopes (up and down), ferocity of rain, wind, and temperature. On this occasion it was reasonably warm, still, and the rain was a mere drizzle (although I was still soaked through). Equally, the first part of the walk was level, and about half of the second part was either level or downhill, and I was walking with a friend.


Oh, and don't try to walk down a corridor while drying your hair with a towel. I tried, and walked into a door.

Blazing Saddles  94%
Small Soldiers
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
Evil Dead 2 100%
Little Shop of Horrors
Night Watch 57%
Monty Python's Meaning of Life
Holes 77%
Galaxy Quest
Dodgeball
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Armageddon
Sin City
X Men 3

Ah, screw it, I'm going for Blazing Saddles, Holes, Night Watch and Evil Dead 2

That is all.

I'm in a blue funk today. No lectures, no leaving house, minimal leaving room, minimal human contact.

Oooh, test tomorrow, and lots or work.

Fun.

.....apple slices.....

Why have we had a whole month without rain, only for it to start tipping down as soon as we come back?
According to Phill, God hates students. Probably.

Oh, and new laptop. Which has battery of approx. 4 hours, Windows Vista and a 100GB hard drive. But not iTunes. Must get round to that, but I have heard of problems....

Powered by ScribeFire.

Dr. Strangelove

Also...Tom Jones?

After going down to the bar here in the student village today to watch the England v Wales rugby match, I came home, as usual, smelling of cigarette smoke. Not as badly as some occasions, I admit, but I was only down there for a couple of hours, but still enough to ensure that my clothes had to go straight to the laundry, and my hair needed washing.

Imagine my delight when I realised that, as smoking is to be banned here in Wales on April the 2nd, by the time I returned after the easter hols, it would be banned, effectively meaning only a week left, barring whatever I get up to in the hols (a damn sight less than here, for sure).

After this, I started reflecting not on the smoking ban, nor on the practice of smoking itself, but on those friends of mine who smoke. But a year ago, I had no friends who smoked. Sure, I knew people who smoked, even hung around with them while they smoked (outside and in the cold I seem to recall), but none of my close friends smoked, or seemed ever likely to. Now, one of my housemates is a smoker (roll-ups), several of my friends are smokers (ranging from gave up a couple of months ago, to has more or less given up (largely due to lack of money), to somebody who never buys their own, but will take one if offered. There are other people too, those who have given up for lent, and doing quite well at it too, and those who smoke like chimneystacks (and always seem to be in front of/behind me at shows and events).

Why did all these people take up smoking? The health effects are widely known, and have been for some time, indeed, they were drummed into us yearly at school for countless years. The cost is equally an incentive for a person on a student budget not to as well, in fact I have always wondered by people pay so royally for the privilege to kill themselves (and others). The other two aspects of smoking are of course the "coolness" and sociability. The former is these days largely gone, at least by the time you are legally old enough to smoke, as all students are. The last, however, is the final hurdle for those who wish to eradicate the habit.

Smoking is seen as being "sociable". From the shared satisfaction of bunking off school/work for an illicit fag, to the comraderie  of a smoke huddled against the elements, to the willingness to help and to ask for help from fellow man shown by people wandering around bars asking for a light, smoking carries a veritable mountain of subtle and not-so-subtle associations with the grander parts of the human character. And these will not be overcome so lightly.

So expect, come next month, hordes crowded round the doorways, and flocking to those places where they will yet be able to, for these will doubtless exist.

Light-up frisbee
Kite
Football
Helicopter
Plane
Light-up poi
BBQ